This Means War is leaving HBO Max soon This Means War will not be a part of HBO Max’s library from Thursday, April 30, 2026. McG (Charlie’s Angels, Chuck, and Terminator Salvation) directed the film, based on a story by Timothy Dowling and Marcus Gautesen. Will Smith co-produced it through his production company, Overbrook Entertainment, Inc.

This Means War follows two highly skilled CIA agents, Tuck and “FDR,” who have the utmost faith in each other. Their friendship takes a back seat when they learn they’re both seeing the same woman, Lauren. Instead of telling her, they decide otherwise and let Lauren choose one of them.

However, the two friends also try to sabotage each other’s dates using their skills and CIA assets. Reportedly, 20th Century Fox bought the rights to Gautesen’s This Means War spec script in 1998. At the time, the story was simpler, with two friends fighting over a woman who moved into their spare room, per Variety.

Over the next few years, the two friends’ backgrounds changed several times before the story ultimately featured them as top CIA agents (via TIME). By 2010, Bradley Cooper was set to star in the film, but dropped out due to a scheduling conflict. The film’s final cast included Chris Pine as FDR, Tom Hardy as Tuck, Reese Witherspoon as Lauren, Til Schweiger as Heinrich, Chelsea Handler as Trish, Abigail Spencer as Katie, and Angela Bassett as Collins.

Released on February 17, 2012, This Means War couldn’t garner a positive reception from the audience. On Rotten Tomatoes, it currently has a critic approval rating of 24%, while the user rating sits at 56%. Despite this, it went on to earn $156.4 million globally against a reported $65 million budget.